Day 1: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Miles of sandy beaches, lively outdoor events, and a charming web of waterways help to make Fort Lauderdale a relaxed, vacation capital of Florida. The excitement is palpable, as cruise ships and gleaming yachts gather in the harbour ahead of adventures and luxury journeys across the waves. Soak up the relaxed atmosphere in the canal-laced 'Venice of America,' as you enjoy big label shopping on Las Olas Boulevard - or visit fancy restaurants and bustling art galleries. For a wilder experience, the swampy wetlands of the Everglades sprawl away nearby. Fort Lauderdale Beach is a lively stretch of sand, bordered by palm trees, and sprinkled with crowds enjoying the Sunshine State's generous weather. The charming promenade of red-brick tiles extends right along the beach's length and rumbles with passing rollerbladers and cyclists. Flick across the waves while paragliding, or relax with a coffee or a margarita in a beachfront bar, as volleyball games play out in front of you. For a quieter beach option, Olas Beach lies a little down the coast towards Port Everglades, and has extra space to spread out and tan on acres of smooth white sand. Spot the backs of alligators waiting patiently, and the toothy grins of crocodiles patrolling the murky waters of the Everglades – the USA's biggest tropical wetlands. A haven of extraordinary wildlife, birds wade through its swamps, and black bears and panthers roam its wilds. Take to a plane to appreciate the full scale of the national park or purr along exploring its waterways in a fan powered boat.

Day 2: Day at sea

Day 3: Cozumel Quintana Roo

Dive into the exuberant, colourful world of Cozumel - a Mexican island of exceptional scuba diving, snorkelling and dazzling beaches. Abundant underwater ecosystems swirl among reefs of black coral - attracting experts and beginners alike to the azure waters of this island. Mayan mythology says Cozumel was the sanctuary of the Goddess of fertility and love, Ixchel - and this seducing Mexican island of adventure and allure leaves all visitors head over heels. Waiting across the Carribean waters from Playa Del Carmen, and a world away from its lively resorts, Cozumel is an idyllic land of gently curving palm trees and tropical shores. Playa Palancar occupies the western coast, with velvety powder and balmy Caribbean seas. Relax, with just the notes of the washing sea and whispering palm trees accompanying you during splashes through the shallow waves or tanning sessions on the soft sand. Playa El Cielo - or the appropriately named Heaven Beach - is home to a divine constellation of starfish resting on the seabed, below its glass-clear waters. Stingrays and sea turtles also swirl in the waters, as you snorkel through some of the island's most vibrant and diverse displays of marine life. Beach bars serve up spicy Mexican fare with a seaside twist - like delicious prawn fajitas, fish tacos and lime-squeezed ceviches. The crumbling San Gervasio ruins, meanwhile, offer cultural intrigue and a fascinating insight into the remarkable ancient Mayan civilisation. Despite the presence of majestic ruins from antiquity, it's the giant iguanas, soaking up the sun in clearings, who often unwittingly steal the show.

Day 4: Belize City

Diverse and joyously discordant, Belize City is a place of beachside luxury, colonial pomp and authentic ramshackle streets. While no longer the official capital of Belize, it remains the country’s busiest and most populated city. Listen closely to the hum of chatter from the locals, and chances are you’ll only pick out fragments of the sentences exchanged, as the languages in this diverse location have merged and diverged over the years. Various creoles are spoken, adding extra colour and vitality to this lively, multicultural destination. Belize Tourism Village’s leaning wooden huts and swaying palm trees invite you ashore, and you can share a welcome drink by the waves, or shop for hand-carved souvenirs. Offshore, gorgeous beaches and sparkling marine life await at the gorgeous Turneffe Atoll. A little further out still sits the Great Blue Hole - a mysterious inky eye that sinks deep into the turquoise Caribbean and has been fascinating experienced divers for years. From Belize City, adventures amid the dense jungle beckon, or you can kick back and sample local restaurants, tasting everything from delicious lobster tail to fresh lionfish. Cucumber Beach gives you space to unwind and soak up the sun’s generous rays nearby. Belize City itself is split in half by Haulover Creek, which flows through the city and is spanned by the landmark Belize City Swing Bridge. A delightfully antiquated piece of engineering, it requires the elbow grease of four operators to open it and make way for taller ships to pass. The Museum of Belize brings the country’s history to life, pulling no punches in its treatment of the brutal slave history, and exploring the fascinating ancient Mayan civilisation, which thrived here around AD 250.

Day 5: Roatan Island

Sunlight patterns sparkle on turquoise waters, while pristine white sand beaches glow, on this heavenly slice of Caribbean paradise. Roatan Island is a narrow spindly refuge, and the rich marine life of the Mesoamerican reef draws visitors to its white sand shores, to explore below the surface of glowing waters. Expert and novice divers alike will be treated to a blur of colour, while investigating the world’s second-biggest reef, where multi-coloured life dances wherever you look. Inland, dense forest and jungle cloak the island with emerald green, and shelter yet more exotic animal life. Roatan Island is the largest of the Honduran Bay Islands and sits sandwiched between Guanaja and Utila. A diving paradise and an eco-tourism hotspot, there is easy access to the sprawling underwater marvel of the Caribbean’s largest coral reef - a flourishing underwater wonder. West Bay Beach is a typically idyllic Caribbean island beach, featuring white sand, crystal clear beautiful water, and waving palm trees. Settle into inviting restaurants where you can eat flavourful local fare and try the ubiquitous baleadas, delicious wraps stuffed with mashed beans. Exotic animal life roams in Gumbalimba Park, where capuchin monkeys drop down from the trees, macaws call out and hummingbirds hover beside blooming flowers. Roatan Island is a relaxing place and you can learn from the masters of taking it slow at the Sloth Sanctuary. Roatan Island may specialise in unwinding, but face to face underwater meetings with sleek - but harmless - sharks are sure to get the adrenaline pumping.

Day 6: Day at sea

Day 7: George Town, Grand Cayman

With beaches plucked fresh from the dreamiest depths of your imagination, world-class food and dazzling hospitality, George Town is the quintessential Caribbean experience. Set on the largest of the heavenly Cayman Islands - a collection of autonomous British Overseas Territories to the west of the Caribbean Sea - it’s a place to take things slow. Swing on the gentle breeze in a hammock, scuba dive among undulating stingrays, or stroll powder white sand, with impossibly blue water lapping against your feet. George Town invites you to relish in the finest, most-refined Caribbean bliss imaginable. Meet swathes of stingrays gliding smoothly below the waters at Stingray City. Or head out to scuba dive and snorkel offshore, to explore a rich tapestry of coral reefs - where bright clownfish, angelfish and butterflyfish swirl amid elaborate fields of patterned corals. Deliberately sunken shipwrecks - like the Kittiwake - add extra interest for experienced divers, and have been enthusiastically adopted and inhabited by the glittering sea-life within. The elite waterfront of Seven Mile Beach is a slice of Caribbean perfection, where the villas of the rich and famous overlook a dappled crescent of the soft white sand. It’s also perfectly angled for admiring some of the Caribbean’s most dramatic, blood-red sunsets as evening rolls around. Dining options range from rustic beach huts, rustling up fresh batches of calamari and spicy fish tacos, to fine-dining restaurants - where expert chefs produce tender lobster and serve up their dishes on terraces with sweeping sea panoramas. George Town’s National Museum tells the island’s story succinctly, while quality shopping opportunities also await - whether you’re seeking authentic handmade jewellery and crafts, or tax-free brand bargains.

Day 8: Day at sea

Day 9: Key West, Florida

Located closer to Havana than Miami, Key West is synonymous for all that is fabulous. Whether it’s beaches, back country or just a brilliant time that you’re after, Florida’s most southern point holds a wealth of intrigue, both past and present. Famed for its unique originality, Key West is a condensation of the best of the sunshine state – fantastic weather, laid back attitude, deep-rooted history and masses of fantastic, fresh seafood; it’s little wonder that nobody ever wants to leave.Floating in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, the island has two very definite personalities: bookish and bizarre. On the one hand, the literary festivals, exquisite Caribbean architecture and splendid art galleries attract the bourgeoisie, while on the other, the eccentricity and reticence to be associated with “the mainland” attracts all kinds of “happies” –new era hippies. The two dichotomies live peacefully side by side and have done ever since travellers started arriving in the 1960s — Key West being one of the three big K’s on the hippie path to enlightenment (Kuta and Kathmandu are the others).But past the idiosyncrasies of the Key Westers, and you will find an island that is literally brimming over with spectacular sights and wonderful wilderness. From Henry S. Truman’s Little White House and Ernest Hemmingway’s house and studio, to botanical gardens and marine sanctuaries, visitors will leave this fascinating island wanting more.Best seen by foot, bike or boat, this is an island to be explored al fresco.

Day 10: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Miles of sandy beaches, lively outdoor events, and a charming web of waterways help to make Fort Lauderdale a relaxed, vacation capital of Florida. The excitement is palpable, as cruise ships and gleaming yachts gather in the harbour ahead of adventures and luxury journeys across the waves. Soak up the relaxed atmosphere in the canal-laced 'Venice of America,' as you enjoy big label shopping on Las Olas Boulevard - or visit fancy restaurants and bustling art galleries. For a wilder experience, the swampy wetlands of the Everglades sprawl away nearby. Fort Lauderdale Beach is a lively stretch of sand, bordered by palm trees, and sprinkled with crowds enjoying the Sunshine State's generous weather. The charming promenade of red-brick tiles extends right along the beach's length and rumbles with passing rollerbladers and cyclists. Flick across the waves while paragliding, or relax with a coffee or a margarita in a beachfront bar, as volleyball games play out in front of you. For a quieter beach option, Olas Beach lies a little down the coast towards Port Everglades, and has extra space to spread out and tan on acres of smooth white sand. Spot the backs of alligators waiting patiently, and the toothy grins of crocodiles patrolling the murky waters of the Everglades – the USA's biggest tropical wetlands. A haven of extraordinary wildlife, birds wade through its swamps, and black bears and panthers roam its wilds. Take to a plane to appreciate the full scale of the national park or purr along exploring its waterways in a fan powered boat.